Dr. Ajit Ranade Resigns from Gokhale Institute for Personal Reasons, Months After Dismissal, Claims No Fault Admitted in Appointment

Authorities of the prestigious Pune-based institution said on Monday that renowned economist Dr. He said that Ajit Ranade has resigned from the post of vice-chancellor of Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics (GIPE).

Ranade was removed from his post by the then chancellor Bibek Debroy on September 14 after an inquiry committee concluded that Ranade’s appointment as VC of GIPE did not comply with UGC regulations on minimum qualifications for appointment of teachers and other academic staff. .

On October 22, GIPE’s newly appointed chancellor, Sanjeev Sanyal, withdrew the order removing Ranade from the post of vice-chancellor, allowing him to continue in his post.

In his resignation letter dated October 29 addressed to Sanyal, Ranade stated that he resigned from the post of vice-chancellor of GIPE due to personal reasons.

Clarified That Any Flaws Will Not Be Accepted in the Appointment

“Please note that this resignation letter in no way indicates that I have admitted any culpability or impropriety in my appointment as Vice-Chancellor in October 2021,” Ranade said in his letter. he said.

He also thanked the Board of Directors of GIPE, the trustees of the Indian Servants Society (SIS, the parent body of the Institute) and the staff of the university for giving him the opportunity to lead the institute.

Officials at the institute confirmed that Ranade had resigned as VC.

Following his removal from the VC post in September, Ranade had approached the Bombay High Court challenging the decision and managed to get a stay.

After the apex court reversed its decision to dismiss Ranade, Debroy, then chairman of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council, resigned as chancellor on September 27, stating that he had no moral right to continue the post at GIPE.

Debroy (69) passed away in Delhi on November 1.

Founded by SIS in 1930, GIPE is the oldest research and training institute in the field of economics in the country.

According to the institute’s website, it is dedicated to researching the socio-economic dimensions of Indian society and carries forward the legacy of Gopal Krishna Gokhale.